The Maguindanao engineering office, through a private construction company, will commence this month the construction of a larger bridge here as part of the development initiatives of the provincial and regional governments, provincial engineering officials said today.
Speaking to reporters, Engineer James Mlok, district engineer of Maguindanao’s Second District Engineering Office, said his office and the Department of Public Works and Highways in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao will work closely with Roma Construction firm to ensure transparency and completion of the PHP180-million bridge project.
The bridge will be constructed in Barangay Tukanalipao, site of the bloody encounter between elite Police Special Action Force and Moro bandits two years ago that left 67 people dead, including 44 SAF members.
Engr. Don Loong, DPWH-ARMM regional secretary, today said a larger bridge will connect the banks of the Tukanalipao River in Barangay Tukanalipao in Mamasapano.
It will be built parallel to a small bridge built after the bloody encounter. It replaced the wooden bridge used by townspeople in crossing the river from corn fields.
Aside from the bridge, regional and provincial governments also built a Mosque, a covered court, fish landing area and new school buildings in Barangay Tukanalipao.
The dirt road leading to the village from the town center was also paved, making farmers’ transport of goods quicker and cheaper.
Presently, DPWH-ARMM is constructing the P14-million concreting project Malingao-Libutan Road and the P28-million Tukanalipao-Pidsandawan-Pimbalkan Road that crosses poor communities in Mamasapano.
Maguindanao Gov. Esmael Toto Mangudadatu has ordered the construction of a covered court in Barangay Tukanalipao that residents can use in times of natural and man-made calamities as evacuation sites.
Mayor Benzar Ampatuan of Mamasapano said the government projects have helped improve the standard of living of his constituents when roads were concreted, new school buildings that inspire the youth to pursue education were built, and transport of goods of farmers became cheaper, faster and safer. (PNA)
